Founder and Music Director of the Mason Symphony Orchestra, Lucy Ginther enjoys a career balance of performing and teaching. Dr. Ginther is currently on faculty at Ohio State University where she teaches viola. Previously Dr. Ginther served as assistant conductor of the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra, viola instructor and faculty string quartet member at Wright State University, and orchestra director and violin instructor at Ohio Wesleyan University.

She has been a viola guest artist nationally and internationally, from chamber music with Santa Fe ProMusica and the Cottonwood Festival (Kansas), to the Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City, DF and has worked with youth orchestras in Hong Kong and Macao. Regionally, Dr. Ginther has been a frequent guest artist, notably with the College-Conservatory of Music Faculty Artist Series, Solisti Columbus and Miami University Guest Artist Recital Series.

As a member of the American Strings, she recorded with well-known pianist Earl Wilde and as principal violist of Orchestra de Mineria in Mexico City, recorded with EMI. Dr. Ginther has held six principal viola posts during her professional life, including the Oklahoma Symphony, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra (Cleveland) and the Orchestra de Mineria of Mexico City.

Some of the most enjoyable moments in her career have been in the Broadway pit and on the jazz stage, most recently performing weeks-long runs of Phantom of the Opera and Lion King, and sharing the stage with the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus and the inimitable Carmen Bradford. Dr. Ginther’s viola teachers are Robert Vernon, Jeffrey K. Irvine, Masao Kawasaki and her conducting mentors are Ennio Nicotra, Diane Wittry, Harvey Felder and Carmen DeLeone. Dr. Ginther attained her Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory Music.